Why Real Sports Fans Don't Care About the Cold

Why Real Sports Fans Don't Care About the Cold

As someone who grew up having unpredictably cold weather from mid-October until potentially early April, I know that it takes serious skill to deal with it.

And although there were plenty of times I either played in or went to a sporting event where temperatures were in the teens or snow was falling, I always made sure I bundled up to stay warm.

Some fans, though, don't care much for the hats, gloves or, in some cases, shirts that we wear. Instead they decide that letting it all hang out is the way to go.

Whether they're insane, hammered or just plain stupid, here are a few fans who show that regardless of the elements, they will be out in the cold in full force.

They Can Always Pile on Blankets

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Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Sure, I'm not a huge fan of checking the weather before a game and seeing that the temperature is subzero with the wind chill, but that doesn't deter me from going to the stadium.

Simply put, with all the compression-type clothing that people can buy to wear beneath clothes on top of wrapping themselves up in blankets, no fan should ever use the cold as an excuse.

And who knows, maybe when you add in the warmth from the blankets with moving around and cheering, you'll actually break a sweat—though it's doubtful.

The Games Are Always More Fun

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I love watching athletes get humanized a bit. While playing sports is their profession, it's great to see them having fun doing it.

Never does that come out more than when players get a chance in a cold game. They get to slide around in the snow as if it were a backyard pickup game with friends.

Some of us have some great memories of playing in the snow, so when fans get to see their heroes enjoying it, it's cool to be there firsthand.

They Want to Be Remembered for Something

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Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

When looking at this picture here, there's no doubt you aren't distracted by the big, shirtless, bald guy, right?

And it's no secret that every sports fan hopes to make a name for himself—in a non-Bartman way, of course—so why not be known as the dude who bares his skin at every game?

It may not score you a date, but you might get a little face time on TV.

To Build a Few More 'Fans' in the Stands

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Al Bello/Getty Images

When other fans are too wussy to show up and help pack the stadium for a cold-weather game, sometimes the best thing the folks who go can do is make up for the ones who didn't.

How would they do that?

By building a few snowmen in the stands, of course, complete with team colors and a few cheerful moves to get the crowd hyped.

In some cases, it might be the most entertaining thing that fans get to do all day, especially if their team is getting lit up on the scoreboard.

The Beer Is Always Cold

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Jamie Squire/Getty Images

While these Green Bay Packers fans might look like they're freezing cold by wearing nothing but bikinis, gloves and a beanie, they seem to believe that the cold brew in their hands will help numb the chill of the temperature.

It probably won't do anything like that, but at the very least it will stay nice and cold to sip on all game, so that's something cool.

To Show Their Chest Hair

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Cooper Neill/Getty Images

These Southern Methodist fans may have been bare-chested in a recent football game, but as someone who prides himself on the "taco meat" that I have flowing out of my shirts, I can tell you other fans would love to show it off, too.

The only problem with this theory is that it blows trying to get acrylic paint out of the mane of hair on one's chest—that stuff dries and flakes badly.

Snowball Fights

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Now I wouldn't recommend tossing tightly packed balls of snow at the cops as these crazed soccer fans did, but much like most of us did as kids on the playground, getting into an epic snowball fight in the stands is always good fun.

Just remember to not let it get too out of hand, as it did in 1995 at a New York Giants game.

It's a Game Played Once a Year

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While watching a sport like football in the snow or cold is rad, seeing ones that aren't supposed to have freezing temps like baseball, soccer or hockey is a bit more fun.

And that's why every sports fan should love the NHL's Winter Classic—especially this year's. The weather is so unpredictable that no one can be anything but happy standing out in the frozen temps.

Seeing how it's played just once a season makes it a very cool spectacle worth braving the elements for.

To Hype Up the Crowd

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Image via twitter.com/BarstoolBigCat

Stadiums have plenty of ways to try to get the fans out of their seats.

Most of the time this involves loud music, a camera panning the crowd for funny dancers or contests that get people engaged.

But if teams were smart, they might just hire the group of shirtless dudes in section 330, because in their attempts to stay as warm as possible, these dudes will do anything they can—and I don't blame them.

To Get Recognition for a Great Sign

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Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Just as the previously mentioned Green Bay Packers girls showed with their bikinis and cold beer, others may use the chance to bare some skin in the freezing weather to make a sign that will land them on TV.

This shouldn't necessarily be the goal of every fan every time, but if it works, why argue with the tactic?

The stands are filled with funny signs that fans hope to be seen, so being loud and a bit frostbitten will catch the lens of a camera.

It's Do or Die

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Stuart Franklin/Getty Images

Yep, I'm talking about the playoffs.

Whether it's because they overpaid a bit for tickets to see their favorite team make a run toward a title or because it's a championship game, sports fans won't let a little chilly weather tarnish a memory by staying home to watch it on TV.

When it comes to seeing history, blaming poor weather for not showing up should never be an excuse.

Tailgating

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For a lot of reasons, starting a fire is a bit frowned upon.

Where is it publicly acceptable for a grown man to grab a steel barrel, some wood, paper and a case of beer with his buddies to set up some flames?

Not too many places.

Unless it happens to be in a parking lot prior to a sporting event, where it seems that everything is just monitored but typically not overly enforced—within reason, of course.

And when the weather happens to be freezing, there isn't a better thing for sports fans to want to do, which makes the diehards some of the best tailgaters around—especially when it's like the Arctic Circle outside.